08/12/2018 Rain, Rainbow, Demolition, Silver Springs, The Church is true!!

We smile, but there is a lot of truth in this - 

 Lots of rain but you don't see many rainbows.  This was a double and in the main one you could see clearly ever color.  Have we said before that our Father has blessed us with a beautiful world.

 We need all of the grandchildren here - reminded us of when Jeremy took down the home on the lot Craig and Krishelle bought and we all sat on the side of Stym's home and watched it go down.  It is pretty impressive to watch.  The parking lot close to us in the picture is right next to the Institute building.  This is quite a project, they are taking down the Ag Fraternity house which has been there for at least 50 years so it is pretty run down.  We are not sure if they are rebuilding or relocating.  It is a prime location, so we'll see.  There are a lot of talks and lessons in the fact that it takes so long to build and so little time to tear down.

Out trip to Silver Springs State Park was amazing.  We will use a few of their pictures because they are so much clearer.  We saw alligators, but fortunately never this close.  In the pictures we took, you can't see the babies, can barely see the alligator.  The guide said they will just lie there until a bird or turtle or frog gets too close and then shoot up and get it.  We are sorry we didn't get to see that.

Our picture --

 There are also lots of turtles.

We took the glass bottom boat tour. The water is as clear and blue as it looks in the pictures.  You can see down 20-30 feet.  We have used some of their photos because they show the color better. Also in the first one you can see the depth of the water at the dock.
                                 Their Picture

                                      Ours

                                      Their Picture

                                              Ours

They made some of the Tarzan movies here but you can't see the trees he would swing from.  The movie Creature of the Black Lagoon, a 1954 3D horror movie was also filmed here..  We are standing by the suit the actor wore in the movie. The man who was the creature for most of it was a local that was raised in the area and could hold his breath for a long time.  He had to swim down and get in the cave and then wait for them to be ready to shoot the scene.  From the glass bottom boat, you can see the rock cave he comes out of, it is about 20 feet down. Look up the trailer on it in You Tube.  Kind of fun after seeing the location.

Also, parts of the Jerry Lewis movie, Don't Give Up The Ship was filmed here.  In one of the scenes there is a sunken ship and that film prop is still down at the bottom. 

This is an old Indian dugout canoe dating way back that is made from a hollow log.  It has been part of a movie, but it is the real thing.

and some old statues that were part of a movie

What Silver Springs is best known for is its group of artesian springs that feed into the Silver River  in Marion County, Florida, about 45 minutes from us. This is an aerial shot.  Located in the middle of this "patch of natural Florida jungle" is the largest artesian spring in the world which discharges 23 cubic meters of crystal clear water every second, enough, it says, "to supply the everyday needs of sixteen to seventeen million average citizens of Earth." 

 The boat takes you over six of the springs and you can see clear to the bottom. The park itself is beautiful - looks like it could have been part of the Garden of Eden. 

Sorry there isn't a closer picture of my beautiful hat !!

 

From Elder Whitney Clayton - Choose to Believe -  ... all of us will, at some time or another, have to traverse our own spiritual wilderness and undertake our own rugged emotional journeys.  In those moments, however dark or seemingly hopeless they may be, if we search for it, there will always be a spiritual light that beckons to us, giving us the hope of rescue and relief.  That light shines from the Savior of all mankind, who is the Light of the World.

     Perceiving spiritual light is different from seeing physical light.  Recognizing the Savior's spiritual light begins with our willingness to believe.  God requires that initially we at least desire to believe.  "If ye will awake and arouse your faculties ... and exercise a particle of faith," the prophet Alma teaches, "yea, even if ye can no more than desire to believe, let this desire work in you, even until ye believe in a manner that ye can give place for a portion of [the Savior's] words." ... those words remind us that belief and faith require our personal choice and action.  We must "awake and arouse [our] faculties."  

    Quoting again Aaron's FHE lesson from years ago: The church is true.  There's work to do!!

                                                   Love to you all 

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